


Walk Me Home!

by Maplefudge



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Awkwardness, Boys Will Be Boys, Crushes, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Hawaii, High School, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Rough Kissing, School, School Trip, Secret Crush, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-08 13:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maplefudge/pseuds/Maplefudge
Summary: After a sudden downpour ruins the fireworks festival, Ann insists that Ryuji walk her home to keep her from attacking the perverts who hit on her.





	1. Walk Me Home!

**Author's Note:**

> First P5 fic! I love this couple and I'm so sad that there aren't more works for them. Well, please enjoy my simple randomness. :)

“I’m drenched and uncomfortable enough as it is, so stop staring!”

“Ugh, shut up!” Ryuji shot back as he scratched the back of his neck in frustration. Undeniably, his face was bright red. “You’re the one who asked me to walk you home!”

“Y’know these creepers are awful, and I’d get in trouble if I kicked another one…” she muttered under her breath as they made their way through the crowd. The rain had died down but the group had decided to just call it a day. There was no chance they were seeing fireworks that night, even after all that trouble Ann went through to show up in her pretty kimono.

She disliked the ogling, and it didn’t help that her bright kimono stung to her skin like so. Ann thought herself to be independent and strong but she still wasn’t comfortable walking home alone in her condition.

The young girl had insisted that Makoto not be left alone either. After her persuasion, Akira agreed to walk Makoto home, which happened to be in the opposite direction (Morgana had brought up that Akira’s house was closer to Ann’s, and Ryuji’s to Makoto’s, but Makoto shook her head at him with a giggle. The feline had been so confused).

Ann reminded herself that it was fine--after all, Ryuji hated the stares as much as she did. He once went on a full-fledged rant about the perverts that stared at her from head to foot, ignoring the fact that he did it as well and didn’t even try much to hide it.

“Tsk, look at that!” complained Ryuji as they went around a corner and passed two middle-aged men wearing suits. The two men had stopped their conversation as soon as Ann passed, no doubt distracted by her drenched kimono and beautiful face.

“Oh, please,” Ann replied. “You’re doing the same thing!”

“Shut up!” he repeated, not really having any other phrases to defend himself with.

He just hated it. He looked at Ann a lot and admitted that she was attractive, but that was okay. In his defense, he was a friend, and he didn’t hide his stares, so that was… okay? Besides, she didn’t really seem to care that much, often teasing him further when she caught him.

Ryuji gave a disgruntled sound as another drunk man obnoxiously called Ann over. Festivities seemed to bring these people out. Most people had gone home by now, but the drunks were still a sight.

“C’mere and gimme some of that, yummy!” the drunk man bellowed. Ann twitched. She didn’t usually give notice to these people, but sometimes they got on her nerves. “Leave that ugly punk-ass brother of yours and let’s get a room!”

Ann turned around quickly, her hands balled into fists, and started marching towards the man. “Listen here, you idio--”

“Ann, heeey,” Ryuji started. Without a second thought, he grabbed her left hand, the closest one, and pulled her towards him. It shook her balance a bit as her shoulder hit his chest softly. “It’s not worth it and I’m tired, let’s just go.”

The young girl gave him a furious look and then shrugged, deciding to ignore the man. What she didn’t see when she turned away from the drunk was that Ryuji shot the man the finger. The drunk gave a loud laugh in response but didn’t bother them further.

Ryuji didn’t let go of her hand, and she wondered if he had simply forgotten, or if he was doing it to make sure that she didn’t stray away again. Nevertheless, she let him. His hand was warm and welcoming.

They were getting closer to her street. Ryuji had walked her home countless times before, and had been inside her house a few times. The first time was back in middle school when they had been assigned as partners. He didn’t really think much of her back then, aside from the fact that she was a bossy but cute chick.

The longer they walked, the further the crowd dwindled. The only sounds that broke their silence were their steps on the puddles and the funny squishy noises their wet clothes made. Silence was never an issue between them, but they both appeared to be tired… and Ryuji’s house was still three train stations away.

Ryuji and Ann weren’t speaking, but she swore she saw an embarrassed expression on his face, and wondered if it was because he felt too silly to let go of her hand now. The silence was beginning to become awkward, and her house was only about a dozen steps away now.

“Thanks, Ryuji,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. Ann now only realized that her own cheeks were becoming warm as well.

Damn it, if he saw her cheeks, he’d figure out that silly crush she had on him. No, no, no…

“Sure,” he said, inadvertently squeezing her hand back before letting go. He was staring at the sidewalk intently as if that rock was the most interesting object in the world. “See ‘ya.”

“‘Night,” she said before approaching her house. He still refused to look at her, so she sighed and gave a slight wave before opening the gate and stepping inside. Ryuji didn’t respond further, simply turned around and hunched his shoulders, pockets in his hands, as he made his way back to the train station.

Ann rubbed her blushing cheeks, refusing to believe that her silly crush on the boy was getting even stronger. Unknown to the young girl, Ryuji was cursing his own cheeks and thinking the exact same thing about her.


	2. It Wasn't Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann comforts Ryuji after a fatal mistake... and do friends normally hold hands like this?

The van (or more precisely, Morgana), hit a slight bump and skidded forward, causing all occupants to tumble slightly. Nobody made a sound. Morgana was making his way back to the entrance of Mementos, and everyone was exhausted by now so there wasn’t much noise aside from Akira’s soft snoring and the ‘eeps!’ of Morgana as he ducked away from a shadow’s view.

Yusuke and Akira were seated in front. The artist had a distracted but tired expression as he looked out the window, taking in the strange colors and concepts of the dungeon. Akira had given up by now and was slumped against the seat, clearly wanting nothing more than to go home to his bed. At the back seat, Makoto was dozing off as well, her head resting against the window. Ann was seated in the middle and was snacking on a candy bar. With his gloves discarded to the side, Ryuji was looking at a gash on his right wrist.

They had stayed for too long and were now retreating, with no medicine or stamina to recuperate. Their defenses were down but that was alright. Morgana never failed them when it came to rushing back to the entrance, and they often took this time to sit in silence. The feline made some comments now and then but they had learned to drown it out with their own thoughts by now. Fortunately, Morgana never thought it was rude of them. Really, they owed Morgana so much at this point.

“It’s not too bad,” Ann whispered in between bites of her candy bar as she looked at the wound that Ryuji was transfixed on. She felt slightly guilty that her lack of stamina meant she couldn’t cast a spell on it, and she was mostly cheering herself up. His wound didn’t need stitches as it was only skin deep (his suit had taken most of the blow) but it did look painful and he was careful not to aggravate it. The wound was on his right hand, the one opposite to her, and as soon as she spoke it shook him out of his reverie and he hid it out of her view.

“You’re eating again!?” he hissed. Her gloves were on her lap, giving her easier access to eat her snack. His sudden outburst shook Makoto slightly, and Ann shot him a look to keep the volume down. Her candy bar was a cheap one, not enough to give her the stamina back to help him, but she felt as if she needed the sugar.

“You look really pissed,” she observed as she took the last bite. The high school girl pointed at his eyebrows. They were knitted together in that way of his when there was something heavily bothering him.

Ryuji shrugged and slumped back against the seat. He closed his eyes but his expression stayed bothered. Looking at the ceiling, he whispered to her, “It’s nothing.” With that, he closed his eyes.

However, she knew it wasn’t ‘nothing’. Their last battle had been terrible. Right before it, Makoto suggested that maybe it was time to call it a day as they were all exhausted and there was no medicine left. However, Yusuke mused about that treasure chest in their view and the lone shadow guarding it, and Ryuji insisted that one more battle would be fine! Akira was easily persuaded, as per usual, and the battle ended up not ending ‘fine’, as Ryuji had put it.

One blow and they were all down on their knees. That’s when Morgana screamed that the shadow was too strong and they had to retreat, which they were able to do after scraping their way past and running towards the van. Ryuji felt awful, as did Yusuke, but the blond boy seemed to take it worse. He was the one who had persuaded Akira.

They were fine now, but he couldn’t help but think what would have happened if the shadow had gotten even just one more blow in. They would have been gone.

Ryuji slowly opened his eyes as he felt warm fingers wrap around his wrist. He looked at Ann and down at their hands. His hand, the uninjured one, rested on his lap and Ann had reached out to give his wrist comforting hold.

After giving her a questioning look, she winked at him with a sweet smile. “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered at him. His expression softened but he didn’t respond. Instead, he took out his other hand. For a moment, she thought he was going to brush her away.

He didn’t. Ryuji placed his hand over hers, and then slumped back against the seat with his eyes closed. Ann felt his fingers twitch a little, and she was very aware of the red blush that crept on his cheeks. Hand holding wasn’t normal for them, and ever since the fireworks festival, she didn’t think it would ever be repeated. Was this even normal? For friends to hold hands for comfort? Ann had no idea. She cherished it all the same.

The high school boy’s strained expression soon gave way to a more relaxed one, and that comforted her as well. They sat this way for a while, her hand around his wrist, and his other hand on top of hers, until Morgana announced that they were back at the entrance.

 

* * *

 

“Take care!” Morgana said cheerfully from his place in Akira’s bag.

Everyone gave their tired goodbyes and turned towards the direction of their homes.

“Hey, wait!” Morgana’s voice rang out once again. Akira blinked and turned around, same as the rest. The feline poked his head out from the bag and looked very confused as he pointed a paw towards Ryuji. “You idiot! Your house is the other way, remember?”

“Ugh…” was all Ryuji could muster. He had started walking towards Ann’s house, trailing behind her a few steps, without even realizing it. Ann hadn’t realized that he had been following her, and stifled a giggle.

“Morgana,” interrupted Makoto. They were all an awkward distance away from each other now and had to raise their voices a bit. Central station was mostly empty by now which made their voices strangely clearer and highlighted the silliness of the situation further. Typically, the station would still be open after a few hours in Mementos as the dungeon appeared to stop time. However, they had grabbed a bite to eat at a convenience store and had rested at the steps far too much to their liking (everyone had been too tired to really move around). “The stations are closed because of the time. We need to walk home, see, even Yusuke isn’t going his usual way.”

Yusuke looked confused but didn’t say anything. He always walked home towards this way.

“I-I guess…I don’t understand though, Ryuji’s house is so far from Lady Ann’s…  oh, nevermind, let’s just go,” the feline said in a defeated tone. He still seemed confused but burrowed his way back inside the  bag.

Makoto gave Ryuji a smile. Earlier, when Morgana announced they had arrived at the entrance and had woken everyone up, she had seen Ryuji and Ann in a panic to not get caught with their hands together. They both didn’t even notice that Makoto had seen it. Makoto gave a final wave and walked towards her bus stop.

“Well…” mused Yusuke before turning around and walking away as well.

Ryuji and Ann stayed still for a while, waiting for everyone to get out of earshot.

“You walking me home?” Ann quipped.

“You got a problem with that?” Ryuji shot back, his cheeks red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore Morgana so much, he's your usual oblivious and tactless cutie! Makoto, on the other hand, seems to be the all-knowing older suster figure of the group to me. ;)


	3. Fire and Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji walks Ann home after an exhausting night at Mementos, and unintentionally pisses her off, which pisses him off in turn as well. It's the anger that sets them both off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens directly after the previous chapter. Haha, I can’t stop writing about them! This is all for fun but I hope you guys enjoy! This is honestly my favorite chapter of it so far, and honestly can be taken alone as it is. ;D
> 
> This chapter has some cursing and implied *ahem* love-making in it.

“You don’t need to do this, y’know? That was a very tiring day at Mementos,” Ann quipped. Ryuji shrugged in response. They walked side by side towards Ann’s street. The highschool girl was tired but she still moved in that usual, confident stride of hers that made her hips sway just slightly. Ryuji, on the other hand, was slouched with his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” muttered the blond-haired boy. “Im exhausted but I’m not sleepy.”

That makes no sense, Ann wanted to say, but she stopped herself.

“My parents aren’t home,” she said instead. “My dad would be furious if he found out a guy walked me to the house while they were away.”

“Where are they?” he asked, trying his best to hide the curious tone in his voice.

“They took a trip to Hawaii,”Ann replied. She gave an excited smile. “Oh my god, our school trip to Hawaii is in a few months! I can’t wait! I love the beach and I can’t wait to put on my new swimsuit.”

“Hehe… Hawaii, huh…”

Ann raised an eyebrow and shot him a stare. He had that look of his when he was daydreaming about pretty girls. Ryuji was such a typical man that she could recognize this expression easily by now.

“Of course,” she said, a bit irritated. “How could I forget that you’re just like any other dude.”

“What was that!?” he complained, waving his hand around for effect. “You can’t blame me for being a ‘typical’ dude, can you!?”

Ann shrugged her shoulders. The pout on her lips said she was still a bit upset. A lot of guys admired her looks, she understood that, and one of those guys was Ryuji. The problem was that Ryuji admired _a lot_ of women’s looks. Ann didn’t understand why she was so upset, though-

“Don’t tell me you’re upset ‘cos you want me to find only _you_ pretty!?” he asked. His tone was so condescending, so teasing, that Ann couldn’t help but smack his shoulder with her handbag.

“Please, I know for a fact that between me and anyone else, you would find me the most endearing.”

Ryuji snorted. “Mighty proud of yourself, huh?”

Ann kept quiet and forced a teasing smile. She felt defeated. This past few weeks had been different for her and Ryuji, someone she had, at least on the outside, regarded as nothing more than a friend. With all the hand-holding and the strange sweetness between them recently, she actually thought it was okay to acknowledge her crush… because she thought perhaps he reciprocated it.

No. No, he didn’t. He was the same douche as always.

“What’s wrong?” he flicked her forehead to get her attention. “You got all quiet all of a sudden, it’s weird.”

“Quit it!” she shot back, pushing his hand away. Ryuji was taken aback by the annoyed expression she wore. Ann could be loud and confident, but she was often kind and patient (in her own way). He didn’t think she’d take his teasing so seriously.

“You’re not angry, are you…?” he asked as he quicken his pace. Ann was walking much faster now and was some steps ahead of him. God, he was exhausted, could she please walk slower!? Suddenly, the idea of walking her home tonight was becoming a stupid idea… girls could be so hard to understand.

“Just go home, Ryuji!” Ann said loudly. In the dead of the night, only their voices rang through the silent streets, and the irritability in her voice was clearer than ever. “You douche, just go home!”

“The hell is your problem all of a sudden?” he retorted. Ryuji attempted to grab her wrist, but she wrestled it out of his grip and suddenly elbowed him in the stomach. “Ow, Ann!”

She seemed pleased with herself and quickened her pace even further, expecting him to just leave her be. Ann was surprised to hear his footsteps racing to keep up with hers, but she didn’t turn to look at him.

“Ann, what the hell?”

“Ryuji!?” she hissed.

He had caught up with her and grabbed her by both her wrists this time, pinning her against a lamp post. It was a bold move but he looked even more annoyed than she did at this point. It was probably her elbowing him that did the trick.

“The fuck’s your problem?” he muttered, his brows tangled in confusion. His grip on her wrists were strong and she kept it pinned to her sides. The light from the lamp showed the clear annoyance in his expression, and she looked up at him, their faces inches apart.

“Let me go.”

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said simply.

Ann frowned and stopped struggling to let go. They challenged each other with their stares, both not really knowing what to do next. They were so close now, their breaths intermingled.

 _She smells like a flame…_ Ryuji thought to himself. He didn’t even know how someone could smell like fire, and if he said it out loud she would probably take it as another insult, but to him it was undeniable. Ann Takamaki had the scent of someone sweetly fierce and warm.

“Fuck off, Ryuji,” she said, each word dripping with anger. Ryuji watched her soft lips move.

Then he kissed her.

He couldn’t help it.

Ann gasped and didn’t move an inch. The hold on her wrists relaxed and he pulled away. She looked up at Ryuji, at the determined look on his face.

“I like you a lot, Ann,” he said simply. “But fuck, you are one hard nut to crack.”

Ann felt her anger bubble once again but she fought to keep it down. Ryuji had called her boastful, had implied that she was just like any other hot chick, that Hawaii would have tons of other hot chicks… and he had said it without any regard for her, without even a hint that he _liked_ her. Ann knew that Ryuji was aware of her crush on him. And now she confirmed that he liked her back. He was simply an ass too,which for Ryuji, might be inevitable.

She couldn’t take it. Ann grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close, locking their lips together once more. Their kisses were fierce and wanting, and she reminded herself that this ‘crush’ had been going on since middle school.

The way he kissed her, it was evident that he had experience. Strangely, he thought the same about her. They just both _knew_ how. Their lips met in an array of heat and breathlessness, Ryuji’s hands tangled in her hair.

They made out for the first time in secrecy, against a lamp post.

“Ann…” Ryuji whispered.

“My parents aren’t home,” she repeated. It was a whisper against the skin of his neck. She couldn’t tell if he even heard her.

He did hear her, and it was a mess, how they awkwardly made their way to her house, kissing the entire way. Ryuji broke it off often because at this rate they would never reach their destination, but it was also him who kept pulling her closer multiple times.

Ann smelled like fire, but she tasted like it as well. Sweetly fierce and warm.


	4. Labels?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanging out without labels can be fun and games, but until when?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah!! Another chapter done while battling insomnia. I can't think of anything much to add after this so this is probably it, though I'll probably end up uploading more works for these two 'cos I love them and I feel like they're not getting enough attention. Pleaseee, please write about them too!

“Oh, shit…” Ryuji whispered under his breath as he slowly sat up, careful not to wake up the sleeping form beside him. Ann’s hair was in a disarray, out of their usual ponytails, and her arms were hugging her pillows protectively. Only a blanket covered her, and a blush crept up immediately to Ryuji’s cheeks as he observed the ivory skin peeking from underneath.

Yesterday was a blur, it was a mix of both exhaustion and adrenaline. They had somehow made it to her room. He could distinctly remember arching over her, kissing her bruised lips as he struggled to muffle her voice, even if there was nobody else home. Her nails had dug into the skin of his shoulders, leaving crescent marks, and his own hands grasped her hair in frustration. 

Ryuji slowly climbed out of the bed and pulled on his pants. He rubbed his eyes and then he heard it: the clanking of pots from downstairs, and the voices of two other people.

“Shit, shit…” he hissed and hurriedly and awkwardly put on the rest of his clothes. The high school boy roused Ann, not gently, and she stirred and opened her eyes. She stared at him with an irritated look, before realizing where they were.

“Ryuji!” she called out before sitting up straight. The blanket fell to her lap, exposing her.

“Eh…” he blinked. Ryuji was speaking in a low voice. “Wait, not so loud.”

“G-god…” Ann flustered and grabbed the blanket to cover herself back up, and Ryuji, red-faced and all, grabbed his jacket and tossed it at her. 

“Your parents are here!” he said in an accusing tone. She had put on his school jacket by now and observed the surprised look that she had in response.

“They must have gone back early…” she mused.

“You think!?”

“Ann!” called a lady’s voice. “We caught an earlier flight. Are you up yet?”

Ryuji and Ann looked at each other in panic.

“Go up and wake her,” answered her father’s voice.

Ann ran to her door and opened it before calling downstairs, “No worries! I’m on my way down!”

When she turned back, Ryuji was by her window, scouting his exit routes. He had the same expression he had when they attempted to flee from an enemy in a palace. Ann couldn’t help but stifle a giggle, and he looked pleased at himself when he saw there was a fire escape just outside her window.

“See ‘ya,” he said. The awkwardness laced his every word. Ann raised an eyebrow in response, and he grinned at her before taking a few quick strides towards her and kissing her, plain and simple. Then he was out the window.

* * *

 

To everyone else (the rest of the team, other students, their parents), nothing changed. On the outside, they were still those two friends bickering at each other every chance they got. Life continued as is, with Ann’s modeling, and Ryuji’s training, and battling shadows

The empty classrooms were a different story though. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. The two of them didn’t really talk about it, probably found it unnecessary, nor did they really put a label on it. All they knew was that when they were alone, it was all fingers and lips, limbs tangled together.

Once, Morgana asked about the suspicious lipstick mark on Ryuji’s collar. He was flustered but said he had been on a date the night before, but even with all the prodding from Morgana, he didn’t really say anything else to Ann’s relief. Darn their carelessness. 

The team expanded further, adding Futaba to the team. Their secret had almost made it out because of Futaba (she had been monitoring all their phones and had seen the messages, after all). It took the young hacker a while to realize that the rest of the team didn’t know of the relationship between Ann and Ryuji. She only realized when she saw them lie through their teeth, and her smirk confirmed that she knew. Ryuji bought her a bag of instant noodles just to keep her quiet.

* * *

 

“So, why are you guys keeping it on the down low?” Futaba asked one day. Her video game was on the loading screen. Akira had gone off to get some take-out with Morgana, and Futaba, Ann, and Ryuji were waiting in his room. At this point, Futaba was much more open to the group and spoke more casually. “What are you, anyway?”

Ann and Ryuji immediately turned awkward.

“Friends?” Ann shrugged, casting a look at Ryuji. It had been two months by now and they still hadn’t put a label on it.

“With benefits?” replied Ryuji, cocking his head to the side. He missed the annoyed look Ann had when she heard his response. He said it so casually and without thought.

“Sounds weird to me, but what do I know,” said Futaba before returning to her video game.

“What?” mouthed Ryuji in response to Ann’s death glare.

* * *

 

Ann wasn’t shallow, though she often made an effort to make it appear that she was nonchalant. Ryuji, on the other hand, was certifiably tactless. They didn’t outright speak about their relationship or put a label on it, but their issues showed up in other, passive aggressive ways.

She scowled at him everytime he looked at other girls with that perverted look of his. He chided her for her ‘over-the-top’ confidence. Ann always found it extremely annoying when all he had to do was give her a compliment, but he would ruin the moment by doing the opposite.

Akira thought it was nothing but their usual bickering. He hung out with the both of them in the gym once and it ended up with Ryuji insulting Ann’s gym outfit, Ann yelling at him, and the two of them parting ways with irritated looks.

But when they met in the dark alleys and the deserted classrooms, it was as if almost all of it was forgotten. Ann’s skirt would be pulled up to her waist and Ryuji would be arched over her. He had made it a habit by now to muffle her noises with his mouth, and in turn she bit his lips, bruising them suspiciously.

“You called my gymsuit ugly,” she hissed hotly against his neck. Ann was straddling him in the student council room (Makoto would kill them if she found out, she had given them the key for ‘studying’ after all).

“It was the most unattractive piece of shit a model could wear,” he teased as he held her wrist and brushed his lips against her palm.

* * *

 

“Why don’t you just admit it!?” she huffed. 

Really, that’s all she wanted to hear. He was so great at ambushing her for their secret rendezvouses but he could never, for the love of god, just admit that she was attractive. She also wanted to hear him say that she was more than her looks, maybe admit that they were more than friends with benefits.

The problem was, Ryuji was an idiot. And Ann just never outright said it.

“What the hell do you want!? Admit what!?” Ryuji retorted. Lately, she had been bringing it up for him to ‘just admit it!’ but she would never tell him  _ what.  _ For fuck’s sake.

“This is bullshit…” she muttered under her breath.

She stopped replying to his messages unless it had something to do with Palaces of the Mementos.

* * *

 

“You look upset, Ryuji,” Makoto mused as she strided along with him. They walked together to the train station. They didn’t usually walk together, and it was just a coincidence. To be honest, the two of them didn’t really have much in common.

“Bah…” he muttered, hands in his pockets. It had been a week since Ann started giving him the cold shoulder. In turn, he stopped trying to get her attention.

But he missed her.

Makoto had her eyes closed for a few seconds in that thoughtful way she did. It was one of her mannerisms and it gave the impression that she was deep in thought.

“My friend Eiko keeps texting me about her silly boyfriend,” Makoto finally said. Ryuji raised an eyebrow, wondering where this topic came from. “Her boyfriend was being funny and now won’t apologize for calling her dress ugly … really, men can be so dense at times.”

“Pfft,” said Ryuji. “Girls are the same. They get upset about the most stupid reasons, and they won’t even say what they want.”

Makoto gave a light chuckle. “Perhaps. Sometimes I think men are dense on purpose though, I would suppose it’s because of their pride.”

They walked a few steps in silence. Ryuji bit his lips, wondering if Makoto knew something. She  _ always  _ seemed to know something. He couldn’t bring himself to ask… because of his ‘pride’, as she put it..

“For example, maybe a girl wants to put a label on a relationship, because she believes it’s otherwise meaningless… but she’s just as proud as the boy and won’t tell him that outright. Perhaps she thinks that the boy treats her as someone who’s meaningless, and unless he figures out a proper label himself it just doesn’t seem right.”

Yup. She definitely knew something.

“Ann’s an idiot,” he said simply. “If she wants something she could just tell me without all this shitty drama of hers.”

Makoto gave another chuckle. She said, “Perhaps you can find time to make up with her in next week’s school trip.”

* * *

 

He missed her. He missed the heated skin and kisses, he missed the way she tangled her fingers in his hair and bit his lips. He missed the way she giggled against his neck when he accidentally tickled her. He had found out that the spot right under her chin was ticklish.

The trip was fun and they acted like nothing was amiss. To piss Ann off, he made it a point to gawk at the ladies in their bikinis. To piss him off as well, she suggested to one of the girls that they sneak off to a bar at night and made find some guys.

Makoto shook her head. They were so immature.

* * *

 

“Goddamit!” Ryuji complained before banging the door to his room. He was making it a point to make a ruckus. His roommate had brought back his girlfriend to the room and had made it awkward, obviously wanting Ryuji to go. Where was he supposed to go!?

He found himself in Akira’s room, complaining to him and Mishima about his predicament.

Soon enough, unfortunately, Ann came as well. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Ryuji, but with Akira’s blinking eyes, she realized that leaving would just be suspicious; and it would also mean she would lose the whole ‘game’. Mishima seemed scandalized that there was a lone girl in their room with three guys, but Akira and Ryuji didn’t seem taken aback.

She complained that the girl she was rooming with went to her boyfriend’s took the key with her, and consequently locked her out of the room. How annoying! 

“Heh? I wonder if we’re talking about the same dumb couple?” Ryuji had mused.

They soon settled that Ann and Mishima would take the beds, Akira would take the couch, and Ryuji was stuck to the floor. 

Mishima soon found that his real place was in the restroom with his upset stomach.. Akira was being silent, as per usual, and Ryuji strained to see if he was still awake. He replied to the questions, so he knew he was there, observing as always.

They talked like gossiping friends, as if there was nothing askew. Ann even mentioned Shiho, which struck a chord in Ryuji’s chest somehow. Only now did he realize that after months of being ‘together’, he hadn’t even once brought Shiho up.

He felt awful.

She quickly changed the subject. The room was quiet and comfortable, and she bit up her pride, and asked in front of Akira… Ryuji, what type of people do you like?

Ann wished she never asked because the conversation was concluded with the fact that he put beauty on top of anything else. That shallow, tactless, moron. That was it. That was his only goal. Perhaps that’s why he never decided to put a label on their relationship, even if he didn’t admit that he found her pretty, he didn’t really care for anything else.

Mishima’s bathroom noises ruined the rest of the night further.

* * *

 

“Ann…” Ryuji called out in a whisper. Ryuji had been quiet for almost ten minutes now. Mishima had decided to go for a walk to calm his nerves and Akira’s breathing had slowed down to a pace that proved he was asleep. “Hey, Ann.”

She was back to ignoring him.

“Ann, let’s take a walk.”

No reply. He was sure she was awake. She snored, he knew that would have been a giveaway that she was asleep, a fact he never mentioned to her. It was cute but he was sure she would hit him.

“Ryuji, what the…” she hissed when she felt her blanket stir. A warm arm went around her waist as Ryuji made himself comfortable beside her. “Akira might wake up… Mishima might come back soon!”

“I don’t care,” he said, nuzzling the back of her head. Her back was warm against his chest but it still caused him to shiver. “I’m sorry, Ann. I miss you.”

Ann didn’t say anything, but she didn’t push him away.

“I like you. I like you a ridiculous amount, a-and…”

“And?” she challenged.

“I-I’m sorry I kept calling us friends with benefits,” he finally mustered. “If you don’t mind, I would really like to date you… uh, date you properly. With all the sappiness and chocolates and l-lovey dovey crap and all that shit. I wanna call you my goddamn girlfriend.”

Ann snorted. Seriously!? Ryuji was speaking against her neck now and his hands were shaking. Ann entangled her fingers around his to calm him down. He clearly was biting up a lot of pride right now. Ann admitted that she was just as silly, but she didn’t care. This was really all she needed to hear.

“Okay,” she turned to face. “Okay.”

Ryuji grinned at her and kissed her softly. They exchanged quiet kisses. The moonlight was their only source of light and Akira’s gentle snoring was very distinct in the background.

“Now get the hell out of my bed before Mishima comes back,” she ordered.


End file.
